Playing biotechnical catch-up
One reason Wake Forest University is starting a master's program in bioethics is that biotech advances are outstripping the framework the medical profession has for examining the ethical issues such advances raise. Here's one example: direct-to-consumer genetic testing that gives people interpretations of their own DNA, which has gained regulatory approval in California.
What exactly a layman is supposed to do with this information isn't entirely clear. But as knowledge about the human genome grows, we're likely to see more such services -- and need to be prepared to wrestle with the ramifications.
